JP6145851B2 - Multi-channel microreactor design - Google Patents

Description

priority

  This application is entitled “Multi-channel microreactor design”, European Patent Application No. 083055711.7 filed on October 22, 2008 and European Patent Application No. 08305610. filed on September 29, 2008. No. 1 claims priority.

  The present invention relates to multi-channel microreactor designs.

  Microfluidic devices are commonplace, but fluid devices of scales ranging from a few micrometers to a few millimeters, i.e. with a minimum dimension in the range of a few micrometers to a few millimeters, preferably from some enough of a micrometer to about A device having a fluid passage in the range of 2 micrometers is provided. In part, due to its characteristic small total process fluid volume and characteristic high surface area to volume ratio, microfluidic devices, especially microreactors, are difficult, dangerous, or even impossible otherwise It may be useful to carry out chemical reactions and processes in a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Such improved chemical processing is often described as “process intensification”.

  Process enhancement is a paradigm in chemical engineering that has the potential to transform traditional chemical processing into a smaller, safer, more energy efficient and environmentally friendly process. The main purpose of the process enhancement is to produce a highly efficient reaction and treatment system using a configuration that maximizes mass transfer efficiency and heat transfer efficiency while significantly reducing the size of the reactor. One of the process-enhanced research priorities is to reduce development time from lab to mass production by using methods that allow researchers to obtain better conversion and / or selectivity. It is. Process enhancement would be particularly advantageous for the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries, where production is often less than a few metric tons per year and laboratory results in the enhancement process are scaled relatively easily in parallel .

  Process enhancements are substantially smaller from the development of new equipment techniques that result in very significant improvements in manufacturing and processing compared to those commonly used today, and substantially reduce the size of equipment, Includes technology development that leads to cleaner and more energy efficient technologies.

  The methods and devices disclosed herein comprise a multiphase mixture of fluids that also mix, separate, extract, crystallize, precipitate, or otherwise in a microstructure (including fluids that also contain solids) in one version. A multiphase mixture of fluids or mixtures of fluids). It is generally useful in performing any process that involves the treatment of a fluid or mixture of fluids. The treatment includes a chemical reaction, a biochemical process, or any other form of treatment defined as a physical process, an organic species, an inorganic species, or a process that results in the interconversion of both organic and inorganic species. The following non-limiting list of reactions will be performed by the disclosed methods and / or devices: oxidation; reduction; substitution; elimination; addition; ligand exchange; metal exchange; More specifically, any reaction in the following non-limiting list will be performed by the disclosed methods and / or devices: polymerization; alkylation; dealkylation; nitration; peroxidation; sulfo Oxidation; Epoxidation; Ammoxidation; Hydrogenation; Dehydrogenation; Organometallic Reaction; Precious Metal Chemistry / Homogeneous Catalytic Reaction; Carbonylation; Thiocarbonylation; Alkoxylation; Halogenation; Dehydrogenation Halogenation; Dehalogenation; Carboxylation; decarboxylation; amination; arylation; peptide coupling; aldol condensation; cyclization condensation; dehydrocyclization; esterification; amidation; heterocyclization synthesis; dehydration; Ammonia decomposition; etherification; enzymatic synthesis; ketalization; saponification; isomerization; quaternization; formylation; phase transfer reaction Silylation; nitrile synthesis; phosphorylation; ozonolysis; azide chemistry; metathesis; hydrosilylation; coupling reaction;

  The inventors of the present invention and / or their colleagues have previously developed a variety of microfluidic devices useful for process enhancement and methods of manufacturing such devices. Among these previously developed devices is the general form of apparatus shown in prior art FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a typical layered structure of certain microfluidic devices, not shown to scale. A microfluidic device 10 of the illustrated type generally includes at least two volumes 12 and 14 in which one or more thermal conditioning passages, not shown in detail in the figure, are disposed or constructed. Volume 12 is restricted vertically by horizontal walls 16 and 18, while volume 14 is restricted vertically by horizontal walls 20 and 22. The terms "horizontal" and "vertical" as used in this document are merely relative terms that indicate a general relative direction, and do not necessarily indicate right-angle accuracy, but refer to the direction used in the drawings. The orientation is used for convenience and the orientation is used as a convention and is not intended to be a feature of the illustrated device. The invention and its embodiments described herein may be used in any desired direction, and the horizontal and vertical walls generally need only be intersecting walls and not necessarily at right angles. .

  A reactant passage 26, shown in partial detail in FIG. 2 of the prior art, is disposed in the volume 24 between the two central horizontal walls 18 and 20. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the vertical wall structure 28, some of which define the reactant passage 26 at a predetermined cross-sectional level within the volume 24. The reactant passage 26 of FIG. 2 is shaded so that the fluid contained therein can be easily seen, forming a repetitive passage that is serpentine and twists in two dimensions with a constant width, It covers the maximum area of the surface of the plate that defines the volume 24. 2 and other portions of the microfluidic device 10 in different planes within the volumes 12 and / or 14 moving perpendicularly from the plane of the cross section shown in FIG. 2 and the tortuous reactant path shown in the cross section of FIG. A fluid connection is made between 26 inlets 30 and outlets 32.

  The reactant passage 26 has a certain height in a direction perpendicular to the substantially planar wall.

  The devices shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 serve to provide a volume that can complete the reaction while in a relatively controlled thermal environment.

  FIG. 3 shows another prior art for the special purpose of mixing reactants, particularly multi-phase systems such as immiscible fluids and gas-liquid mixtures, and maintaining this dispersion or mixture over a wide range of flow rates. The device is shown. In this prior art device, the reactant passage 26 includes a series of chambers 34.

  Each such chamber 34 divides the reactant passage into at least two sub-passages 36, and a coupling 38 of the divided sub-passages 36, and at least one of the sub-passages 36 in the direction immediately upstream of the passage. With respect to the passage direction change of at least 90 degrees. In the illustrated embodiment, it can be seen from FIG. 3 that both secondary passages 36 have changed direction by more than 90 degrees relative to the passage direction immediately upstream of the reactant passage 26.

  Also in the embodiment of FIG. 3, each of a number of successive chambers 34 has a gradually narrowing outlet 40 that forms a corresponding narrow inlet 42 of the subsequent chamber for a chamber having one immediately following that chamber. It has more. The chamber 34 is also provided with a splitting and changing wall 44 that is oriented to intersect the flow direction immediately upstream and is located immediately downstream of the inlet 42 of the chamber. There is a concave surface 46 on the upstream side of the wall 44 for dividing and changing the direction. The outlet 40 that narrows from one chamber to the next is preferably about 1 mm wide. It may be desirable for the passage to have a height of about 800 μm.

  Although this type of device has obtained good performance, often exceeding the state of the art for a given reaction, it has nevertheless been desired to improve hydrodynamic performance. In particular, it is desirable to obtain a controlled and balanced residence time while increasing the throughput while reducing the pressure drop created by the device.

  In Patent Document 1, in order to perform a chemical reaction that occurs in parallel inside, in order to provide a micro-scale reaction device that can provide a substantially uniform residence time distribution in a fluid flow, “the improved fluid in the microreactor of the laminated plate” A “flow” parallel passage (see FIG. 37) is used.

US Pat. No. 7,241,423 (corresponding to US 2002/106311)

  However, this document does not solve all of the problems associated with a regulated uniform distribution of fluid flow.

  The microfluidic device comprises at least one reactant passageway (26) defined by walls and including at least one parallel multiple flow channel structure, wherein the multiple multiple flow channel structures include flow channels. At the same time, it includes a group of basic design patterns of flow channels arranged in series in fluid communication so as to form a large number of basic flow design patterns in parallel flow channels. And / or a dwell time, wherein the multiple parallel flow channel structures comprise at least two communication areas between the basic design patterns of two adjacent parallel flow paths, the communication areas being the communication areas To minimize the mass flow difference between adjacent parallel flow paths that are in the same plane as defined by the basic design pattern placed between them and have the same flow direction Allowing passage of fluid (fluid interconnect).

  In some cases, the mass flow (and fluid pressure) between adjacent parallel channels of multiple channel structures in parallel can be equalized.

  Furthermore, this solution makes the residence time uniform in several parallel micro-channels or channels of each parallel multiple channel structure thanks to the communication area.

  Therefore, in order to obtain a constant residence time and hydraulic characteristics, the microreactor chemical production is achieved by the multiple channel structures in parallel according to the present invention, provided that each channel is of the same length, width and height. Throughput increases.

  Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description or the following detailed description, claims, It will be appreciated by practice of the invention described herein, including the attached drawings.

  Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present embodiments of the invention and provide an overview or configuration for understanding the nature and features of the invention as recited in the claims. Is intended to be. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and operations of the invention.

A perspective view showing a general layered structure of a prior art microfluidic device 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure within the volume 24 of FIG. Cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure in volume 24 of FIG. 1 according to another prior art microfluidic device 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure having a first type of basic design pattern that defines a plurality of parallel flow channel structures according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure that defines a large number of parallel flow path structures according to a variant of the first embodiment of the invention Partial enlarged view of detail VI in FIG. Partial cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure having a basic design pattern of the first type with several options for the location of communication areas in a number of parallel flow channel structures Partial cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure with a basic design pattern of the first type according to the choice of the location of the communication areas in a number of parallel flow channel structures Partial cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure with a basic design pattern of the first type according to the choice of the location of the communication areas in a number of parallel flow channel structures Partial cross-sectional view of a number of vertical wall structures defining an alternative basic design pattern of the first type Cross section of the second type of basic design pattern FIG. 11 is a cross-section of an alternative vertical wall structure using the second type of basic design pattern of FIG. 11 to define portions of parallel multiple flow path structures in accordance with yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention. Figure Cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure having a second type of basic design pattern defining a number of parallel flow channel structures according to a second embodiment of the invention Cross-sectional view of an alternative vertical wall structure with a third type of basic design pattern Cross section of another alternative vertical wall structure with a third type of basic design pattern Illustration of a possible manifold structure to be placed upstream of each of a number of parallel flow path structures Cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure defining an alternative structure to FIG. Cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure defining an alternative structure to FIG. Cross-sectional view of a vertical wall structure combining a number of parallel flow channel structures shown in FIGS. Graph of pressure drop across a microfluidic device, expressed in millibars, as a function of flow rate expressed in milliliters per minute, comparing two embodiments of the invention with prior art devices. A graph showing the correlation between flow rate and design for the same pressure drop comparing the two embodiments of the present invention with a prior art device (simulation performed for a 1 bar pressure drop) A graph showing the average decantation time in seconds comparing embodiments of the present invention with prior art devices (using a solvent flow rate of 110 g / min and a diol flow rate of 10 g / min, T = 35 ° C. (Total amount of 120g / min) Graph showing mass flow in milliliters per minute through the cross section for the vertical wall structure of FIG.

  Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

  Without limitation, in the microfluidic device of the present invention, the reactant passage constituted by a large number of parallel flow channel structures and parts thereof generally extend in a horizontal plane and are defined by vertical walls. “Width” refers to a direction that is perpendicular to the flow direction and parallel to the horizontal plane of the multiple flow channel structures in parallel. “Height” refers to a direction perpendicular to the flow direction and perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the multiple flow channel structures in parallel. “Length” refers to a direction parallel to the flow direction and parallel to the horizontal plane of the multiple flow channel structures in parallel.

  FIG. 4 shows a microfluidic device having a reactant passage 26 according to the first embodiment, having six parallel flow channel structures 50 arranged in series. Each parallel multiple flow channel structure 50 has two parallel flow channels 52 formed by a series of nine chambers 34 arranged sequentially in an adjacent manner. Each chamber 34 forms a first type of basic design pattern similar to that of FIG. 3, which provides good mixing properties and can maintain liquid-liquid immiscibility or gas-liquid dispersion.

  Two parallel flow paths 52 are adjacent to each other. The adjacent chambers 34 of the two parallel flow paths 52 form a pair of chambers 34 (more generally, a basic design pattern 57 of multiple flow paths having a communication area 54 therebetween). This communication area 54 may allow fluid to pass between the two parallel flow paths 52 at the location of these communication areas 54 when the fluid flow passes through the two parallel flow paths 52 in parallel. Is formed by a direct fluid connection between a pair of chambers 34. Thus, there is a contact (a common part of the wall) with an aperture / opening (communication zone 54) between adjacent chambers 34 in parallel flow paths 52.

  This particular potential fluid passage or flow interconnection between parallel flow paths, among other things, allows the design of the reactant passage 26 (especially the manifold design) and / or manufacturing process tolerances and / or flow paths. Any potential flow imbalance that may be due to clogging can be corrected.

  Therefore, the flow rate of the fluid can be balanced among all the flow paths 52 of the multiple flow path structures 50 in parallel.

  Furthermore, by having a communication area 54 in the same volume 24 as that of the reactant passage 26 or chamber 34, i.e. having a communication area 54 in the same plane as that of the parallel flow path 52, there are several significances. Benefits: such a structure is simple to manufacture (same plate), optimizes heat transfer by means of the heat regulation passages of the volumes 12 and 14 arranged on both sides of the volume 24, and has a uniform residence time distribution And additional pressure drops and dead zones that are harmful to safety are avoided.

  Thus, according to the present invention, the design of the manifold 56 located upstream of each parallel multiple flow channel structure 50 and the strict similarity of the flow channels 52 in parallel with the chamber 34 is less important.

  The two passages or channels 52 are regularly contacted at the edge with an opening (communication zone 54) between them, and the openings have different pressure drops between the parallel channels 52 (eg, Manufacturing tolerances or clogs), adjusted to change the flow distribution and adjusted to be small enough not to significantly change the flow pattern at that point of contact.

  The continuous chamber 34 constitutes the majority of the reactant passage 26 of the microfluidic device embodiment shown in FIG. The chamber 34 preferably has a constant height H, as shown in FIG. 1, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the walls 18 and 20, which height H approximately corresponds to the distance between the walls 18 and 20. . In other words, the portion of the passage 26 having the chamber 34 occupies the maximum possible space in the direction of the height H and coincides with the maximum dimension of the volume 24 in the direction of H. This is because (1) the volume of a microfluidic device of a given lateral size is maximized, allowing a longer residence time at a higher throughput rate, and (2) one or more heat regulating fluid passages This is important because the distance between the volumes 12 and 14 and the amount of material between the reactant passages 26 and the amount of material is minimized and more heat transfer is possible. Further, although it may be desirable for the height H to be from about 800 μm to over a few millimeters, the thickness of the boundary layer in the direction of H will generally account for the change in direction caused by the dividing and redirecting wall 44. Is reduced by secondary flow induced in the reactant passage by passing and by repeated passage from the gradually narrowing outlet 40 to a wider space of the continuous chamber 34.

  For devices where heat exchange and residence time are to be maximized, a number of consecutive chambers 34 may be at least 30%, preferably at least 50% of the total volume of the reactant passage 26, as in the embodiment of FIG. More preferably, it extends along at least 75% or more.

  As can be seen from the embodiment of the present invention in FIG. 4, it is desirable that the continuous chamber 34 share walls with the next chamber in the upstream and downstream directions. This ensures that the maximum number of chambers 34 are arranged in a given space and therefore the volume of the reactant passage 26 is maximized as a ratio of the total volume available between the walls 18, 20. To help. In particular, the reactant passage 26 defines (1) an open volume, (2) the volume of the wall structure 28 that defines and forms the reactant passage between the horizontal walls 18, 20, and (3) the reactant passage 26. It is desirable to have an open volume of at least 30% of the total volume, consisting of any other volume, such as an empty volume 48 between the forming wall structures 28. More desirably, the reactant passage has an open volume of at least 40%.

  In the variant of FIG. 5, the reactant passage 26 has four parallel multiple flow channel structures 50 disposed in series between the inlet 30 and the outlet 32. Each parallel multiple flow channel structure 50 has four parallel adjacent flow channels 52 each formed by a series of 18 chambers 34 arranged sequentially in an adjacent manner.

  In this configuration, four adjacent chambers 34 in fluid communication with each other, each of which is part of a different flow path 52, join together to allow multiple fluids to flow at the same level in four parallel flow paths 52. The basic design pattern 57 of the flow path is formed.

  As can be seen from the partially enlarged view of FIG. 6, between two adjacent basic design pattern pairs of four parallel multiple flow channel structures 50 or all chambers 34 of multiple flow channel basic design pattern 57. A communication area 54 is formed therebetween.

  A key advantage of the multiple channel approach according to the present invention is that it significantly reduces the pressure drop for a given flow rate. As an example, for a basic design pattern formed by a chamber 34 as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a pattern with only one passage (due to two passages in parallel as shown in FIG. 4) ( Compared with FIG. 3), the pressure drop can be reduced to 2.7 at 200 ml / min. Using four parallel flow paths as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 further reduces pressure by a factor of 2.5 compared to the two path putters and 6.8 times compared to the one path. The descent is further reduced (see FIG. 20).

  Another way to emphasize the key advantages of this multiple channel approach is to consider the maximum working flow rate that corresponds to the same pressure drop. The data in FIG. 21 shows that the maximum possible flow rate corresponding to a pressure drop of 1 bar is 120 ml / min for a pattern with only one passage (FIG. 3), respectively, and two in parallel shown in FIG. It shows 200 ml / min for the pattern with passages and 350 ml / min for the pattern with four parallel passages shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

  Thus, the multi-channel structure according to the present invention significantly reduces the pressure drop, so this increases chemical production throughput without increasing the energy consumption for pumping fluid, and reduces pressure drop. It is an efficient way to maintain below the typical design pressure and / or maintain system complexity by numbering up external.

Furthermore, another key advantage of this high-throughput design approach is that the pressure drop is significantly reduced (at a given flow rate) without any adverse effect on pressure resistance and mixing / dispersion quality. Therefore, no compromise is necessary, especially with regard to:
Pressure resistance: By implementing in parallel passages formed by a series of basic design patterns (eg, heart-shaped chambers 34 of FIGS. 3-5), multiple parallel flow channel structures 50 are formed. By placing in parallel the basic design pattern that can withstand a given pressure rupture, the total pressure rupture is not reduced and thus the pressure resistance is retained.

  Dispersion (or mixing) quality: Since the underlying basic design pattern is preserved, the mixing efficiency is comparable to the conventional one-way design. In the case of an emulsion, the quality of the emulsion was evaluated using a non-miscible liquid system of solvent and diol. An emulsion was formed within the microstructure and the fluid that flowed out of the microstructure was collected. The time required for decantation was interpreted as a measure of the quality of the emulsion formed in the microstructure (the longer it takes, the better the quality). As reported in FIG. 22, the design with two parallel passages according to the invention shown in FIG. 4 (left side of FIG. 22) has one flow path according to the prior art shown in FIG. The result was as good as the pattern (right side of FIG. 22). In this test, the design with one channel has a smaller internal passage height (1 mm) than the design with two channels (1.1 mm). The lower the height of the passage, the better the suspension quality.

As shown in FIG. 7 for a multiple channel structure 50 in parallel with two channels 52, the communication areas 54 between adjacent chambers 34 in parallel may have different distributions or physical arrangements. :
FIG. 7a shows a configuration in which a communication area 34 is formed between a pair of all two adjacent basic design patterns (chambers 34) of the multiple flow path basic design patterns 57 of the multiple flow path structures 50 in parallel. And
FIG. 7b only communicates between two adjacent basic design pattern (chamber 34) pairs of the first two multi-channel basic design patterns 57 located in the upstream portion of the multiple multi-channel structure 50 in parallel. Fig. 7 shows an alternative example in which a zone 34 is formed;
FIG. 7c shows that the communication area 34 is only between every other pair of all two adjacent basic design patterns (chambers 34) of the multiple flow path basic design patterns 57 of the multiple multiple flow path structures 50 in parallel. Fig. 4 shows another alternative being formed.

FIGS. 8 and 9 partially show a number of parallel channel structures 50 having four parallel channels 52:
In FIG. 8, communication areas 34 are formed between all two adjacent basic design pattern (chamber 34) pairs of multiple flow path basic design patterns 57 of multiple flow path structures 50 in parallel. And
FIG. 9 shows that the communication areas 34 are formed only between some pairs of two adjacent basic design patterns (chambers 34): more precisely, the communication areas 54 forming the flow interconnections are staggered. Fig. 4 shows another alternative arranged in an array.

  Referring to FIG. 23, multiple parallel flow channel structures 50 (FIG. 8) with four parallel flow channels having communication areas 34 between all two pairs of adjacent basic design patterns (chambers 34). A simulation of mass flow expressed in milliliters per minute through the cross section of the channel is shown. More precisely, the mass flow rate is represented at the exit part of each chamber 34 of the first four levels of the multiple flow channel structures 50 in parallel, these positions having the reference number fxy, where x is a level position along the flow path 52, and y is a horizontal position. The simulation shown in FIG. 23 demonstrates the efficiency of flow interconnection for four parallel flow paths: flow imbalance present at the inlet (first level cross-sections f11, f12, f13 and f14). Are almost completely gone after the four flow interconnections (fourth level cross-sections f41, f42, f43 and f44 have very close flow rates).

  10A-10G illustrate portions of a reaction passage according to some alternative embodiments of the present invention, in particular, a number of alternative wall structures that define an alternative form of a continuous chamber 34. FIG. It is a cross-sectional view. The chamber shown in the previous embodiment substantially corresponds to the chamber of FIG. 10F, where the column 58 has a larger open area or “free range” as in the embodiment of FIG. 10A. On the other hand, it will potentially work to increase the pressure resistance of the chamber 34. On the other hand, embodiments without struts 58 will be less prone to having a small dead space (a point that moves slowly in the fluid flow pattern) upstream of struts 58. The embodiment of FIG. 10G includes a triangular support structure 60 downstream of the dividing and changing wall 44 so that substantially all of the fear of dead space is avoided, and therefore collects and reacts in the dead space. Particularly recommended for handling solids such as solid suspension or precipitation reactions that tend to block the body passages.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 10B, the dividing and redirecting wall 44 is divided into four pieces, so that the reactant passage is divided into two major sub-passages around the dividing and redirecting wall 44. And split into three auxiliary sub-passages between the pieces of the wall 44. The small size of the auxiliary secondary passage can help to maintain a fine emulsion.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 10C, the dividing and redirecting walls 44 are asymmetric and are offset to alternate sides in the continuous chamber 34 to provide a particularly intense auxiliary flow. The struts 58 are also offset from the center of the chamber 34 in an alternating fashion and are located in a large portion of the two secondary passages formed by the walls 44 so that the struts 58 act as an additional flow divider.

  The embodiment of FIGS. 10D and 10E corresponds to that of FIGS. 10F and 10B, respectively, with the following differences: the gradually narrowing outlet 40 of the previously described embodiment flows into the chamber 34 Replaced by a wider outlet 62 disposed with a small auxiliary flow divider 64 arranged to finely divide the flowing stream, thereby helping to form and maintain an emulsion or other immiscible mixture .

  Referring to FIGS. 11-13, a second type of basic design pattern in the form of an open cell / space 134 with several columns 166 arranged in a staggered arrangement has been proposed (FIGS. 11 and 12). Has five pillars 166). The column 166 has the height of the reactant passage 26, is elongated, and is parallel to the direction of fluid flow (arrows in FIGS. 11 and 12).

  The column 166 is a structure that acts as a turbulence promoter or static mixer along the fluid flow path 152. In this regard, the pillars may exhibit other designs, including designs having portions that are not parallel to the direction of fluid flow, to promote turbulence.

  The open cells 134 are arranged in series to form a flow channel 152 and are arranged in parallel to form a number of flow channel basic design patterns 157 that are constrained by the lateral vertical wall structure 28. ing.

  Two (or more) open cells 134 arranged in parallel to form a basic design pattern 157 of multiple channels may be aligned laterally (FIG. 13) or with respect to the fluid flow direction. It can be moved upstream or downstream (FIG. 12).

  The basic flow path design pattern 134 is arranged sequentially to form multiple flow path structures 150 in parallel, which are continuous straight passages or serpentine passages with significant straight portions (FIG. 13). ing.

  The columns 166 are arranged such that there are at least one column 166 (FIGS. 12 and 13) in all cross sections (full widths) of the multiple flow channel structures 150 in parallel.

  The communication area 154 or open cell 134 between two adjacent basic design patterns is between at least two columns 166 of each of these two adjacent basic design patterns or open cells 134, in particular two aligned columns 166. An opening or passage defined in

  In the alternating staggered arrangement of columns of FIG. 13, illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention, each cross section of open cells 134 perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow includes at least a portion of the columns. . The parallel multiple flow channel structure 150 of FIG. 13 forms an enlarged multiple fluid flow channel disposed downstream of the manifold 156 having a very simple structure.

  For these basic design patterns of the second type in the form of open cells 134 with pillars 166, the secondary passages of the flow channel 152 are laterally offset, ie not aligned along the flow channel 152. Between the columns 166 are defined by the columns 166.

  The second type of basic design pattern 134 is specifically for uniform fluid residence time.

  12 and 13, there are two flow paths 152 in parallel, and a second design pattern or a basic design pattern 157 for each multiple flow path with open cells 134 is arranged in parallel. More than two open cells 134 may be arranged in parallel between the lateral vertical wall structures 28.

  14 and 15 illustrate another possible form of the basic design pattern: this is the basic design pattern of the third type or wave chamber 234. The wave chamber 234 defines a flow path portion. The wavy chamber 234 also has a width that gradually expands and then decreases in the flow direction, and this reduced width forms the inlet of a subsequent downstream wavy chamber 234 having the same design.

  By varying the width, the pressure resistance of the wall structure can be improved. In addition, such a structure allows contact between two parallel basic design patterns at wider positions, only by forming an opening at this position of contact with the common wall. This is a simple method for forming a communication area.

  The wave chambers 234 are arranged in series so as to form the flow paths 252 and in parallel so as to form a basic design pattern 257 of a large number of flow paths. The basic design patterns 257 of the flow paths are continuously arranged so as to form a large number of parallel flow path structures 250.

  In FIG. 14, a communication area 254 between two adjacent basic design patterns or wave chambers 234 is formed by an opening between two adjacent wave chambers 234 in contact along the wide portion.

  In the alternative form of FIG. 15, the undulating chamber 234 flows between two adjacent parallel flow paths 252 such that one wavy wall 228 serves to delimit two adjacent parallel flow paths 252. It is staggered in the direction. In other words, two adjacent parallel flow paths 252 are bounded by two opposite faces of the same single wavy wall 228 that optimizes the space occupied by the reactant passages in the volume 24.

  In that case, a communication area 254 between two adjacent basic design patterns or corrugated chambers 234 is formed by an opening in one corrugated wall 228.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a third type of basic design pattern or undulating chamber 234 can accommodate walls 244 that are split and redirected.

  Two (or more) wavy chambers 234 arranged in parallel to form the basic design pattern 257 of multiple channels may be aligned laterally (FIG. 14) or with respect to the fluid flow direction. It may be moved upstream or downstream (FIG. 15).

  FIG. 14 shows an implementation of two parallel channels 252 and FIG. 15 shows an implementation of eight parallel channels 252, but in multiple parallel channel structures 250 in each parallel, Any of the flow paths can be implemented.

  As indicated above, the first type basic design pattern or chamber 34, the second type basic design pattern or open cell 134 and the third type basic design pattern or wave chamber 234 may be mixed and / or Provides residence time, has a non-constant width along the direction of the flow path, and allows the flow to be interconnected with another basic design pattern of adjacent flow paths of the same type.

  Other basic design patterns that can provide mixing and / or residence time due to the multiple channel structures described above in parallel can be used, particularly basic design patterns that are adjacent to each other in series and in parallel.

  It is desirable that the communication area is formed by a direct flow interconnection between two adjacent basic design patterns of the multiple flow channel basic design patterns.

  For each parallel multiple flow channel structure, manifolds 56, 156, 256 are provided in parallel to divide or branch the reactant passage 26 into multiple flow channels within the parallel multiple flow channel structure. Arranged along the reactant passage upstream of the channel structure.

  Due to the flow interconnection between adjacent parallel flow paths that can correct the flow imbalance between the parallel flow paths, the manifold design can be simple and with limited accuracy However, it is necessary to consider the physical properties of the fluid. FIG. 16 shows three possible simple designs of manifolds 56, 156 and 256.

  These simple manifold designs are non-chemical reaction dependent designs, with some potential flow interconnects entering the manifold area as well (FIG. 16C). Thus, these simple manifold designs accommodate different flow imbalances and do not require critical surfaces to produce a uniform parallel flow.

  17 (respectively FIG. 18) is similar to FIG. 4 (respectively FIG. 13), with an additional mixing portion 68 positioned along the reactant passage 26 upstream of any number of flow channel structures 50. FIG. ing. This mixing portion 68 includes a series of chambers 34.

  FIG. 19 shows another possible design of the reactant passage 26 in which several parallel multiple flow channel structures 50 that do not have the same number of parallel flow channels 52 are arranged in series. In this example, several parallel multiple flow channel structures 50 have two parallel flow channels 52 and another parallel multiple flow channel structure 50 has four parallel flow channels 52.

  Other designs according to the invention are possible, in particular designs with other numbers of parallel flow paths in one parallel multiple flow path structure, for example 3, 5, 6, 8 parallel flow paths.

  The communication areas 54, 154 and 254 have a length ranging from 0.5 to 6 mm, preferably from 1 to 5 mm, more preferably from 1.5 to 3.5 mm.

  The height of the volume 24 and the reactant passage 26, which is also the height of the basic design patterns 34, 134, 234 and the communication areas 54, 154 and 254, respectively, preferably ranges from 0.8 mm to 3 mm.

  The communication areas 54, 154 and 254 have a height / length ratio ranging from 0.1 to 6, preferably from 0.2 to 2.

  The width of the basic design pattern along the flow path ranges from 1 to 20 mm, preferably from 3 to 15 mm.

  The ratio between the width of the basic design pattern along the flow path at the location of the communication areas 54, 154 and 254 and the length of the communication area ranges from 2 to 40, preferably 2 to 14.

  According to the present invention, when considering two adjacent parallel flow paths 52, 152, 252, at least two communication zones somewhere between the inlet and outlet of multiple parallel flow path structures 50, 150, 250. 54, 154 and 254 are arranged.

  Depending on the basic design pattern along the flow path, the number of parallel passages, the overall implementation on the available surfaces and the manifold design, a different number of communication zones 54, to obtain a completely uniform flow distribution, 154,254 may be required. However, most of the correction is usually done in the first two communication areas 54, 154, 254.

  The microfluidic device according to the present invention is preferably manufactured from one or more glasses, glass ceramics, and ceramics. A process for preparing such a device from a glass plate forming a horizontal wall with a shaped and consolidated frit placed between the plates forming the vertical wall is entitled, for example, "Microfluidic device and its manufacture" Although disclosed in US Pat. No. 7,007,709, manufacturing is not limited to this method.

  The device of the present invention may comprise additional layers as shown if desired.

  A “reactant” as used herein is an abbreviation for any conceivable material that is desirable for use in a microfluidic device. Thus, “reactant” and “reactant passage” refer to the inert material and the passage used therefor.

10 Microfluidic device 26 Reactor passage 34, 134, 234 Basic design pattern (chamber, open cell, wave chamber)
50, 150, 250 Parallel multiple flow channel structures 52, 152, 252 Parallel flow channels 54, 154, 254 Communication areas 56, 156, 256 Manifold

Claims (10)

A microfluidic device comprising at least one reactant passage defined by a wall and comprising at least one channel structure having a plurality of parallel channels branched from one inlet,
The flow channel structure is continuously arranged in fluid communication so as to constitute a flow channel, and a group of chambers arranged in parallel so as to constitute a plurality of basic flow channel design patterns in the flow channel. seen including,
The chamber can provide mixing and / or residence time;
The channel structure comprises at least two communication areas between two adjacent channel chambers adjacent to each other in the form of a common portion of a wall having an aperture;
The communication area is in the same plane as the plane defined by the chamber between which the communication area is disposed, and the mass flow difference between the two parallel flow paths adjacent to each other having the same flow direction. Allows the passage of fluid to minimize,
The chambers are provided in series, the continuous chambers sharing walls with the next chamber in upstream and downstream directions;
Microfluidic device.   At least one manifold is disposed along the reactant passage upstream of the flow passage structure to divide the reactant passage into a number of flow passages in the flow passage structure; The microfluidic device according to claim 1. The microfluidic device according to claim 1, wherein the chamber has a non-constant width along the direction of the flow path. 4. The communication area is formed by a flow interconnection through a flow path portion having no wall between two adjacent chambers of the multiple flow path basic design pattern. The microfluidic device according to claim 1.   5. The microfluidic device according to claim 1, wherein at least two communication areas are formed between all of two adjacent parallel flow path pairs of the flow path structure. The microfluidic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the communication area is formed between all two pairs of adjacent chambers of the flow path structure. The communication area is formed between all two pairs of adjacent chambers of at least two multiple flow channel basic design patterns located along an upstream portion of the flow channel structure. The microfluidic device according to any one of 1 to 4. The communication area is formed between all of two adjacent chamber pairs of at least the first two multi-channel basic design patterns located along the upstream portion of the channel structure. The microfluidic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   9. The microfluidic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the communication area has a length ranging from 0.5 to 6 mm.   10. The microfluidic device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the communication area has a height / length ratio ranging from 0.1 to 6.

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